Belgium city of Hasselt

Hasselt, tucked between the Albert Canal and the A13 motorway on the mid-east side of Belgium, is something of an ambiguous city. It' s called the capital of Belgian Limburg. It has an exquisite medieval street-plan, but most of its medieval charm seems to have gone absent without leave.

The old town of Hasselt is enclosed by two ring roads. The outer ring road serves to keep traffic out of the city centre and residential areas. The inner ring serves to keep traffic out of the commercial city centre, which is almost entirely a pedestrian area.

Japanese gardens, comic strip walks, a world-leading free-bus system and a museum, the history and the culture (and the beer) are Hasselt was part of the principality of Liege also, its church St. Quentin’s cathedral, was built between the 12th and 16th centuries in Gothic style. A few wooden houses can still be seen on the market square and elsewhere around the town, rare examples of medieval architecture.

The 11 houses of Hasselts beguinage, accessed via Witte Nonnenstraat date back to 1711. Characteristic of Mosan style, the gates and blue stone window casements give them a very austere appearance, very different from that of the Flemish Beguinages with their pretty, contrasting white stone and brick.

Forget London, Paris and Milan. Go for the wide and varied offerings of Hasselt, Belgium' s most exclusive shopping and fashion city, better known as the Capital of Taste. Traditional markets are held here every Tuesday and Friday, in the wide open-space of the central square, the Kolonel Dusartplein. This becomes a winter village, just before Christmas, complete with ice-rink and festive stalls. From April to November there is also an antique and flea-market, held here every Saturday' s morning, on Saturday evenings throughout summer, an art market reveals some of the most interesting, and current, works of local artists.

Viewed from the Moerenpoort, a gate in the ramparts which is open to the public; is St. Catherine’s Bequinage, Surrounding its little pinnacle church. Many of the houses on its alleyways have kept their authentic 16th and 17th century character.

Hasselt is also home to a large area called “Ethias Arena” and is the largest multipurpose area in Belgium. It is used for concerts, sports events including Tennis, indoor cycling which is a very popular sport in Belgium. The arena can hold up to 21, 600 people. This being a famous landmark for Hasselt, also is known as a University style town.

In February 2007, a plan to build a light railway between Hasselt and Maastricht was approved. Construction began in 2014 and is due to complete in 2017. When completed the travel times between the two cities will take a mere 36 minutes.

Hasselt can be reached from Belgium’s capital within an hour. It is surrounded by beautiful countryside and well worth the visit.